September Cover Girl Jordin Sparks: The Full Interview

On the verge of superstardom, Jordin Sparks talks about her new film Sparkle, losing her mentor Whitney, how she made over her body without ever using the word diet, and, most impressively, why she refuses to act like a celeb. Ever.

Nothing about Jordin Sparks seems plucked out of a Hollywood how-to-act-like-a-celeb manual. For one, she shows up to our photo shoot with her mother, and hugs everyone there--from the manicurist to the lighting assistant to me. When she sits down to get her hair and makeup done, she doesn't bury her head in her BlackBerry. She chats cheerfully and breaks into song, humming along to the Dixie Chicks as she poses for the photographer. Her voice is pure uplift, and she's happy to share it.

A few days later, when we meet for a late breakfast at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, Jordin is generous with her time and her food. Most celebrities pick at a lettuce leaf and complain that they're full, but this girl orders huevos rancheros, chocolate-chip pancakes, and eggs Benedict on crostini (that's Italian for You're way over your Weight Watchers points for the day.) The Arizona native insists I take some bites and samples everything herself. "I just want a taste," she says. "In the old days, I would have cleaned off all three plates with no problem." But that was before her 50-pound weight loss (how she did that is on page 137). When I ask about her Sparkle costar, Whitney Houston, Jordin answers freely and lets the tears flow. She even goes on to reveal the most hurtful things that have been said about her and jokes about her size 11 feet. Then she sings some more. Then she cries some more. Then she lavishes guacamole on her eggs and lets out a blissful sigh. "Delicious!" Clearly, she didn't get the memo about acting like she hates to do interviews.

Jordin Sparks may not behave like a star, but make no mistake, she is one. In addition to the killer new bod and her already impressive music career--she won the sixth season of American Idol, and her first album went platinum--Jordin is making her major film debut with Sparkle. In the movie, she plays the daughter of Houston's character, a washed-up diva. Jordin sings most of the numbers on the sound track, including the gospel-inflected single "Celebrate," a duet with Houston.

Sparks's star quality was put to the test at the Billboard Music Awards in May, when she was asked to sing Houston's "I Will Always Love You" shortly after the icon died. The performance was high-stakes and flawless. That night is still a blur to Sparks, but she does remember one thing. "I only knew Whitney for two months, but it was an intense two months, sometimes 12 to 14 hours a day," Jordin says. "I could hear her in my head, saying, 'You've got this, you've got this.'" And she did, earning a standing ovation from everyone, including Houston's 19-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

So where does Jordin's combination of sweetness and drive come from? How does she have the chops but none of the ego or attitude? With characteristic candor--and whipped cream on the side--Jordin opens up about her transformative year. Calories be darned.

REDBOOK: How did you initially learn about Sparkle?

JORDIN SPARKS: The crazy thing is that my mom heard about it first. I read the script and was so taken in by every word. I just thought, Whoever gets this movie, it's going to be something very special.

RB: Did you know at that time that Whitney was involved?

JS: I knew she was executive producing. She hadn't signed on yet to play the mom. I went in for an audition and was sooo nervous. Usually, give me a microphone and I'm good to go. But this was different.

RB: Were you nervous about working with Whitney because of her history with drugs and alcohol?

JS: Not really. For me it was just like, "This is Whitney Houston!" Any time a woman sings, this is who she compares herself to. I was just excited to be around her--I wasn't thinking about any of that stuff.

RB: There's been so much said about her erratic behavior, particularly toward the end. People said she appeared disheveled and disoriented at Grammy rehearsals. How was she to work with?

JS: For me, she took on the mother role because my parents weren't there [during filming]. She was always asking: Did I feel comfortable? Did I need anything?

RB: That sounds like a far cry from her diva-like reputation...

JS: I was looking at some on-set pictures. We were all so tired [at the end of production], I just started crying. Whitney hugged me and started rubbing my back. That's how she was--kind, caring, and sweet.

JS: I was getting ready to meet up with her. We were going to walk the red carpet together before Clive Davis's Grammy party. The strange thing was, I later found out she had passed around 3:30-ish. I remember getting my hair done around that time, and suddenly, I didn't feel like going. It was this weird thing that just passed over me, but of course everyone there said, "Jordin, you have to go, because this will be the first big interviews with you and Whitney together." So I changed into my dress. Then, it's about 4:30 and Victoria, my publicist, is at my door. She just looks at me and says, "Whitney's gone." And I was like, "What do you mean--she doesn't want to walk the red carpet?" And Victoria says, "No, Jordin, Whitney passed." I lost all feeling. It was like my brain disconnected from everything and I just stood there, speechless, and couldn't move. Victoria had to grab my shoulders, push me back into the room, and sit me down. We turned on CNN and along the ticker it read, "Breaking news," and the anchorman starts saying, "Whitney is gone," and I just completely lost it. I'm not sure I've ever cried that hard. Jason [Derulo, Jordin's musician boyfriend] just held me. For the next two weeks, I just holed up and cried. And the phones didn't stop ringing. I didn't say anything. I was just numb. If I heard one of her songs--and they were being played everywhere--I couldn't handle it.

JS: Yes. The entire focus was on Whitney that day, not who was sitting in the church--and there were a lot of very famous people.

RB: You obviously have glowing memories of her, but are we glossing over the fact that she was an addict?

JS: No. I can only talk about what I experienced. I do think there is a different kind of aura around the film now; I think there was some skepticism before. And there are certainly some themes in the movie that everyone would have wanted to ask Whitney about, like, "Did you relate your own life to this part?" which I'm sure she would have answered honestly. The cool thing about Whitney was that she was not scared to talk about or confront the things she had gone through.

RB: Is it eerie to watch the film now?

JS: There's a line where she says to me, "Was my life not enough of a cautionary tale for you?" Hearing her say it now, it's like, Whoa!

RB: Does her death put the film in a new light for you?

JS: I get so overwhelmed because it's my first film [starts crying], and for my first film to be so deep and heavy... I got to work with one of my idols and sing with her, and she even played my mother. I don't know if anything will ever be as good as this. Sometimes I ask myself, Why did I deserve to have a part in a film like this? I don't want this to come off crazy, but somebody said to me, "It's like Whitney essentially passed the torch." And to hear that, it's just nuts.

RB: What was one of the most meaningful moments for you?

JS: We were shooting the final scene, when I'm in that red sequined gown. Whitney was offstage, watching me, and at one point she said, "Come here." She literally took my face in her hands, looked me straight in the eyes, and said, "You're everything that we want." I just lost it. I don't think I've ever received a bigger compliment in my entire life.

JS: I have to attribute it to my mom, my dad, and my nana. The thing is, anybody can fall--not just celebrities. With Whitney, she was in the spotlight, so everything she did was documented. Sometimes I feel like there are people just waiting for me to fall. The funny thing is, I can't give them anything. I have just never been a partier, even in school. Whether it was sports or drama, I was always doing something. I didn't date; I had my head in a book. I also spent a lot of time with my grandparents--I still go over there and play Yahtzee. My grandma makes root beer floats, and we watch Idol. That's my idea of an amazingly fun night. Once I turned 21, I started going to clubs and occasionally drink. But I'd rather have a bottle of water in my hand, dancing all night. I've always been very driven and focused on what I want to do--which is perform.

RB: Do you think you're an old soul?

JS: [Laughs] People have told me that my whole life. I'm a responsible soul. But anyone who has the chance to spend time with me can see I'm still 22 years old. I love talking about clothes and guys and shoes and makeup. Plus, I'm obsessed with anything Hello Kitty!

RB: Do you ever feel tempted by Hollywood's party scene?

JS: [Laughs] Oh, I'm waaay too scared to dabble in anything like that. I like the way my heart beats, I like the way I think; I don't need or want anything to change that. The first thing I think of is, What would my grandparents say? My mom and dad would kick my butt. Plus, I feel I need to set an example for my younger brother. If I ever saw anything like that happening to him, it would kill me.

RB: Let's talk about your weight loss, because somehow you've figured out how to eat huevos rancheros, chocolate-chip pancakes, and eggs Benedict and not worry about it. What's your trick?

JS: I never decided it was time to lose weight. About two years ago, right after I finished doing In the Heights on Broadway, I got sick and couldn't shake it. The doctor told me I was just days away from having walking pneumonia. That was the wake-up call. So I made a decision to take better care of myself. It started with eating healthier. My intent was never to go on a "diet."

RB: Were you comfortable being heavier?

JS: I was always okay with the fact that I was taller and bigger than everybody else growing up. My mom, my dad, and my friends always told me I was beautiful.

RB: So what changed your self-image?

JS: Idol was the first time I became conscious of my height and weight. On the one hand, I was getting letters from fans saying, "Thank you so much for being comfortable with yourself." On the other hand, I Googled myself--and I will never do that again. Honestly, I could not believe how mean people were. There was this website called votefortheworst.com. They called me Chewbacca, because I was so tall and brown, I guess. No one had ever said anything like that to me.

RB: When did you notice you were heavier than you wanted to be?

JS: I remember looking at this video from In the Heights and thinking, That shirt I'm wearing is tight and I wish they had given me a different one to wear. Especially in the Latina culture, big is beautiful, and I've always loved that. But when I got sick, the thought that I could have been hospitalized if I had waited another day really scared me.

JS: The REDBOOK photo shoot was the first time that nearly everything the stylist pulled fit me. That never happens. It's those little things that feel so good. My goal was to get healthy, not to fit into smaller clothes. But now that I do, it's fun!

RB: Do you ever catch a glimpse of yourself and go, "Wow!"?

JS: At the CMT Music Awards [in June], I was looking at myself in the mirror in this beautiful peach dress and thought, Where was I carrying all of that weight? I felt really, really beautiful that night.

RB: Did you consider being in a weight-loss campaign?

JS: I was actually approached by a company--before I lost the weight--which I thought was kind of rude. I didn't want my fans to think they had to do one of those programs to feel good about themselves, even though those million-dollar paychecks sound good! My whole journey has been about self-acceptance. There's no quick or magical way to lose weight. You just have to do it the natural way--diet and exercise and stick to it--and be able to do it at your own pace.

RB: Now let's talk about Jason. When did you start dating?

JS: We had been friends for a while. And one day, I just saw him in a different way. He invited me to spend Thanksgiving with his family last year. Then in December, I invited him to spend my birthday with me. That's when he gave me this bracelet [a delicate diamond link] that I never take off. I love it! He did good, right?

RB: Yes! But then you had some drama?

JS: He was getting ready for his world tour. He went to do a [dance] move called a back tuck and landed on his neck. He fractured it--it's actually called the hangman's break, because when people hang themselves, that's what snaps and kills you.

JS: I flew to Miami the next morning, and spent the majority of the next four months with him. He was just starting to get back to work when Whitney passed, and he canceled everything to be with me.

RB: You guys are so sweet and supportive.

JS: We both went through things that were tragic, and that brought us even closer together. He had a near-death experience, and I lost someone. Priorities get in line when stuff like that happens. Family is what matters--and being with the people you love.